OCV - ANJA BIHLMAIER

PROGRAM

Modest Mussorgski (1839-1891)/Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)Pictures at an Exhibition

Piotr Ilych Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64

The Open Day is honoured to welcome German conductor Anja Bihlmaier, a prominent figure at the BBC Proms and Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Praised for her precision and musical intuition, she opens the concert with Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky, later made famous through Ravel’s colourful and richly textured orchestration. In the second half, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 confronts humanity with providence, a recurring Romantic theme that the composer here sought to portray with clear optimism. The opening movement introduces the fate motif that serves as the guiding thread of the work, slipping through an Andante of sublime melodies, then more subtly through a Waltz that eases the tension before reaching the Finale, where the ominous character of the piece transforms into epic drama culminating in a triumphant and hopeful march.